NC National Forest Lake Powhaten

Campground is in the Pisgah National Forest and is run by the Cradle of Forestry just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lots of hiking trails, a lake with swimming area and fishing pier. Bent Creek Experimental Forest has many mountain bike trails. The NC Arboretum is just down the road. Get on the BRP going South and head to Mt . Pisgah and enjoy dinner with a view. Head down into Brevard and see the Cradle of Forestry Visitors Center and Sliding Rock. Brevard is a nice town. North on the BRP and climb up to Mt. Mitchell passing by Craggy Gardens (beautiful especially in the fall or when the Rhododendrons are blooming. Also the Folk Art Center is a good stop also. Asheville is a cool city with great food, music scene, art scene & lots of breweries both big and small. Great Smokies National Park is a short drive away too.

The campground is popular because of the proximity to all of the above so you will need a reservation. Some sites have electricity, a few full hookups but most have neither. Some sites are tent only too. Your site will have a picnic table, lantern post, fire pit, and gravel surface. There are some pull throughs but many are back in. Bathrooms have showers are well kept. Firewood and ice at gate for sale. We had site 85 on the Hard Times Loop which we liked. There is a lot of space between sites compared to most places. Friendly staff/Campground Hosts who are visible especially as Quiet hours started. Generators are only allowed for 4 hours per day so you don't see many RVers. The loops closer to the lake fill up faster.

Now one of my favorite campgrounds alongside Balsam Mountain in the Great Smokies, Tower Falls in Yellowstone, Many Glacier in Glacier and Fruita in Capitol Reef. Quiet and people who know how to camp come here. Already looking at when I can come back as this only 2 hours from our house.

 

Really appreciate your southeast reports! Heading to Lake Powhatan real soon. Have you had bear incidents?

 

You have black bears in that area but that campground is well run so I don't it is much of a problem. The campgrounds in the Carolinas that sometimes have problems with black bears are the ones who don't make campers keep clean campsites. The Cradle of Forestry that runs that one does a really good job. There are a lot of mountain bike trails in that area too, so there is a lot human movement in that area. The Asheville area is one of our favorite places to go whether it is to go to the city (great food, Breweries of all sizes, good music scene) or the mountains nearby. If you are there soon go up the Blue Ridge Parkway to an area called Craggy Gardens. By June the Rhododendron should be blooming. Do it on a weekday if possible, it is crazy on the weekends. From our house in South Carolina. Asheville is a little under 2 hours.

 

Thanks! I guess my ambivalence about bears is similar to those who come to Florida with concerns about gators. Will check out Craggy Gardens, do lots of hiking and paddling, too.

 

Good spots to hike in the area include Mt. Pisgah on the Parkway. You will head south from the Lake Powahaten campground on the Parkway to get there. 1.5 miles to the top with great views. The Brevard has a lot of nice hiking in the National Forest there and also in Dupont State Forest where he Hunger Games was filmed. The Cradle of Forestry is over in that area too. The Great Smokey Mountains is not too far away and is great for hiking. If you want to see some elk, head to Cataloochee, probably late in the day is best from about 6:00pm to until they close the gates at 8:00 pm to the lower part of the valley. North on the Blue Ridge Parkway, you have the Mt. Mitchell area and further up is Linville Falls which is really beautiful. There is a campground there too. The Folk Art Center on the BRP is worth stopping at too.

Can't help you with the paddling, but there are plenty of opportunities in the area. If you get tired of camp food, Asheville and West Asheville both of have plenty of good choices.